Dear Colleagues,
Happy New Year!  I hope that you enjoyed the summer and had a little time to relax.   Students began in Needham on Wednesday, and the staff returned on Tuesday.  Off to the races!
I wanted to provide some updates as well as announce our first professional development program which will be held on Friday, September 23rd in Shrewsbury.
We have a great program lined up with Attorney Dan Field speaking about the changes to the FSLA related to classification and overtime.  These changes are effective on December 1, so the presentation is very timely.  In the afternoon we welcome Bob Harris from Lexington Public Schools and Attorney Colby Brunt who will provide an analysis of a case involving the dismissal of a PTS teacher, going all the way to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court and setting an important precedent.  Both sessions will be streamed live for our colleagues who work far away.
Please be sure to register for the event (flyer attached).  Those who watch live do not need to register.  A link will be provided the day before the event.
Some additional updates:
  • Our new MASPA website is in the revision phase the the Board is very happy with the progress thus far.  We hope to have the website live by the end of the month.  The link above to register for the September 23rd is not to our old website but rather a google form.
  • As I shared earlier in the summer, please do not renew your membership on the old website.  Once the new site is live, all districts will renew their membership at that time.
  • We are looking for a member with a passion for photography and some decent equipment (i.e. different form a smart phone) to help build the website.  Our website will need regular updating of the photos to keep it fresh and relevant.  If you regularly attend the meetings and have a photography interest, please let me know!

I’m looking forward to an exciting year and learning with all of you.  Best wishes for a great opening!

Tom